A popular Rutherglen cafe will close its doors this weekend after losing its battle with South Lanarkshire Council over a rents hike.

The Reformer recently told how owners of The Black Poppy, on Stonelaw Road, had been threatened with eviction by the council before they were even informed their rent was going up by 12.5 per cent.

Now owners Jane Stuart and Michael Lynch have decided to throw the towel in, while blasting the local authority for, “backing us into a corner”.

Jane told the Reformer: “We have decided to close; this has knocked the stuffing out of us.

“We met them yesterday (Tuesday), but it was too little, too late because they have been backing us into a corner.

“They talked about having budget restrictions and couldn’t offer us anything.

“The way they have handled this whole saga has been a disgrace. If they had come to us at the start and said they were looking to put the rent up, we would probably have accepted it.

“Instead they simply tried to bully us. The Black Poppy is what it is because of its customers and because we’ve worked hard over the past 10 years.

“This is so unnecessary.”

Rutherglen MP Ged Killen gave his support to the cafe.

He said: “This is a desperately sad outcome that was entirely avoidable.

“The Black Poppy was a viable, popular cafe at the heart of the community and it will be sorely missed.

“South Lanarkshire Council has completely failed to grasp how it’s high-handed, corporate indifference has pushed a successful small business to closure.

“The whole thing has been poorly handled from start to finish and I worry how many other small businesses working under challenging conditions could find themselves on the wrong side of this council.

“Serious questions must be asked about how it nurtures relationships with small businesses which, in this case, was simply nonexistent.”

Daniel Lowe, South Lanarkshire Council’s executive director of housing and technical resources said: “The council met with Ms Stuart and repeated its previous offer of a new lease and detailed the incentives that could be offered.

“A number of options were discussed aimed at supporting the business.

“During the discussions Ms Stuart acknowledged that the rent review was reasonable and she undertook to consider her aspirations for the business and what lease option would support her objectives.

“We are disappointed that Ms Stuart has not taken up the offer of support nor advised us directly of her decision to close.”

The Black Poppy is expected to close by the weekend, with the eviction notice allowing them until Monday to leave the premises.